5 Rock Street

Occupants

We have had great difficulty in identifying the occupants of each house in the 19th century census records and even with the Rate Books we found the sequence of occupants is inconsistent.  We have therefore provided our best guess as to who was living in each of the Oxhouses.

Henry Herbert - in the 1876 Rate Book, the name of Henry Herbert appears in one of the Oxhouses.  We can't be sure which Henry Herbert this refers to.  One of them had been listed as an occupant of one of these houses in the 1840 Tithe Map.  This Henry was born about 1809 and in 1871 he was living in Pound House, near the Castle with his wife, Mary Ann who was aged 59 at that time.  By 1881 they had moved to Gillingstool.

William Duncombe - the 1881 census shows the house was occupied by William Duncombe a labourer aged 17 and Hannah Duncombe a charwoman aged 56.  William was the Hannah's stepson.  He was baptised William John Duncombe on 25th May 1864, the son of William Duncombe, a porter at the Workhouse and his wife, Fanny (nee Elliott).  Fanny died aged 44 and was buried on 23rd January 1868.  William re-married on 17th November 1868 - this time to Hannah Ford, the daughter of James Ford, a labourer.  Hannah was widowed when William died on 10th May 1879 aged 57.

It is interesting to note that Hannah was the sister of George Ford who was living at number 3 Rock Street.

George Ford - the 1885 and 1890 Rate Books appear to show that George Ford was occupying both number 3 and 5 Rock Street. Click here to read about George

Hester Phillips - the 1891 census shows the house was occupied by Hester Phillips, a widowed laundress aged 58 from Alveston.  In 1881 Hester had been living at Alveston Down with her husband, Joseph, a quarryman and their daughter Lucy aged 11. In 1901 she was living in one of the almshouses in St Mary Street.  She died in 1906 aged 73 years.

Frederick Davis - the 1894 Rate Book shows Frederick Davis occupying the house.  We do not have any other information about Frederick.

Sarah Greenman - the 1899 Rate Book and 1901 census show that the house was occupied by Sarah Greenman.  Click here to read more about Sarah

There is a long period in the 1900's when we do not know who lived there.

Jack and Rose Bond - lived in the house from about 1942 until the houses were demolished in the early 1960's.  Click here to read more about Jack and Rose and the rest of the Bond family 

This page was last updated: 11/11/2008